


Naruto Uzumaki and the Nine Tails Jinchūriki

by EyePhoenix



Series: Naruto!Hogwarts AU [2]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Crossover, Gen, Naruto at Hogwarts, No pairing - Freeform, Second year, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-09-17 23:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16983735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EyePhoenix/pseuds/EyePhoenix
Summary: Naruto embarks in his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with his friends, but soon finds a strain on his friendship with Iruka and his school friends. Especially in light of a dark secret that has been kept from Naruto for twelve years. Rated T for later use of language.





	1. Chapter One

The sun beat down over London; the roads and pavements were packed with commuting sightseers and Londoners - many huffed impatiently or would waste their breath in yelling insults to one another while others remained blissfully oblivious to anything that wasn't within their immediate surroundings. Drivers tooted their car horns and revved their engines at the pedestrians who used the still traffic as an opportunity to cross the busy roads or just passed through oncoming traffic without a care in the world. Due to the large population - and the time of year, of course - the train lines were just as stuffy and claustrophobic; this made the journey to Birkenhead Orphanage a rather unpleasant one for Iruka Umino.

The brunette haired man suspected that there was something amiss when he had first stepped foot onto the underground train station and boarded a train on the Central Line; he had assumed that the other passengers had been giving him quizzical stares due to the large scar that stretched across the bridge of his nose - even in the wizarding world, this feature drew much unwanted attention - but the brunette was beginning to wonder if there was a different reason for their gawking. He tried to diffuse the awkward situation by giving the other passengers a small smile in greeting or pretending that he hadn't noticed their stares by shifting his own gaze to the windows, but the staring had continued after Iruka had disembarked from the train and returned to the bustling streets that resided above the London Underground; he was certain that he had heard a few murmured comments from the odd by passer.

Iruka shrugged off his experience as he jogged up a set of stone steps that led to a large wooden door with peeling silvers letters above it that read 'Birkenhead Orphanage'. The brunette grinned to himself a little as the memories of his first visit came back to him and he rang the doorbell - he then waited patiently while humming to himself happily.

Iruka waited a few moments before he rang the doorbell again; he wondered if he should've sent Naruto an owl to forewarn the boy of his visit - but he wanted to surprise the boy. Judging by the letters that he had received from Naruto since July, the young blond had been having a rough time at the orphanage, this was the reason why Iruka wanted to take Naruto out of the orphanage for a day trip to Diagonal Alley - the brunette had even gone to the trouble of getting Naruto's shopping list from Professor Dumbledore.

The brunette haired man huffed as he fidgeted impatiently and pressed the doorbell once more. He glanced about himself; feeling even more self-conscious at the fact that he was still being ogled by the Muggles who were passing by on the pavement below.

"Good afternoon!" Iruka forced a friendly smile over his shoulder and waved at a man who was taking his dog for a walk in the summer sun. "Lovely weather," Iruka added with a slight nod at the sky while the man closely surveyed Iruka with a calculating expression.

Iruka gave a startled jump as the wooden door in front of him opened rather abruptly and he came face to face with a familiar looking woman - who he recognised to be Mrs Birkenhead; the woman who managed Birkenhead Orphanage.

"M- Mr Umino?" Mrs Birkenhead gave the man an astonished look as she hastily surveyed him.

"Ah, Mrs Birkenhead," Iruka greeted the woman with a large grin and a handshake, "you remember me, right?"

The speechless woman slowly nodded; shifting her gaze to the pavement below - where Iruka was still drawing the attention of passers-by.

"Why don't you come inside, Mr Umino?" The woman stepped to one side and frantically beckoned at the brunette haired man into the orphanage.

"Thank you,” Iruka inclined his head as he stepped over the threshold.

Mrs Birkenhead quickly closed the door behind Iruka while the man observed his surroundings with interest.

"I came to speak to Naruto," Iruka told Mrs Birkenhead, "I hope I'm not imposing on you by turning up unannounced."

"O- of course not," Mrs Birkenhead shook her head and adopted a warm smile as she motioned towards a wooden staircase, "if you would like to follow me please," the woman began to ascend the staircase with the brunette following in her footsteps, "I'm sure Naruto will be excited to see you - His bedroom is number Twelve A; straight down the bottom of this corridor. Although, you should know Mr Umino, Naruto has locked himself in his bedroom since yesterday morning."

"Oh?" Iruka frowned quizzically.

"Naruto's been refusing his meals and he won't speak a word to anyone; not even those of my matrons who he regards as close friends," Mrs Birkenhead added the lie easily with a saddened tone as two of her assistants passed through the corridor; staring at Iruka curiously as they slowed to a halt behind Mrs Birkenhead, "we can't get him to open the door and the spare key has gone missing - I'm sure he's taken it! He's been rather defensive since one of the other children had a bit of an accident."

"An accident?"

"She fell down the stairs,” Mrs Birkenhead confided in Iruka in a quiet voice and with a solemn look upon her face, "Naruto was the only other person present at the time."

"Surely he wouldn't have -" Iruka's frown deepened, “let me speak to him - I'm sure he'll talk to me," Iruka reassured the woman as he started heading towards Naruto's bedroom, "I'll let you know if he tells me anything about the incident," Iruka called back over his shoulder; knowing that he wouldn't stick to his word - even if Naruto had been implicated.

"What's that man wearing?" A purple haired assistant whispered in Mrs Birkenhead's ear as she nodded towards Iruka's strange attire.

The man was wearing yellow football shorts and a pale blue shirt beneath a tattered poncho along with a pair of tanned sandals and red socks; a fishing hat was perched haphazardly upon his head - it was sticking up unevenly where Iruka had tried to conceal his messy ponytail beneath the fishing hat.

"I haven't a clue," Mrs Birkenhead murmured back as they watched Iruka move further down the corridor - the three women shared a small shrug and decided not to question the matter anymore, "when the man leaves, come and tell me straight away," Mrs Birkenhead added in a quieter undertone - the two assistants nodded before each of the women separated to return to their individual tasks.

Iruka stopped in front of the door with the worn, metal number twelve and a crooked 'A' nailed into the wood and rapped his knuckles against the wood of the door.

"Naruto," Iruka called through the door, "is it alright to come in?"

The brunette waited a few minutes for blond to answer; calling out to the blond every now and again - he even pressed his ear to the door to listen silently for any movement within the room beyond as he tried the door handle; but quickly discovered that it was locked, as Mrs Birkenhead had said it would be.

The man swiftly glanced down toward the end of the corridor to make sure that he was quite alone before he retrieved his wand fro, the elastic waistband of his shorthand aimed it at the lock on Naruto's bedroom door.

"Alohamora," he muttered; grinning smugly to himself as the door swung open and he stepped inside - the smirk quickly slid off of his features as he came face to face with a vacant bedroom. Iruka quickly shut the door behind himself, "Naruto?" He called out more urgently as he tore across the room, dropped to his knees and checked under the bed. "Naruto?" Iruka called out again; checking the Naruto's bathroom and wardrobe this time - he was surprised to see that the boy's Hogwarts trunk and clothes were missing too. "That little sh-"

"Is everything alright?" Mrs Birkenhead's voice issued from the other side of the door.

"Er… yes of course,” Iruka lied quickly, “he's being as stubborn as always - we'll be with you in a few minutes," the man added with small chuckle.

Iruka waited until he heard Mrs Birkenhead's footsteps fade away before he conducted another brisk search of the bedroom for the missing blond.

After his second search proved to be as futile as his first, Iruka perched himself on the edge of Naruto's bed and closed his eyes while he thought of a solution to his current predicament.

* * *

 

"Mrs Birkenhead,” Iruka called from the top of the staircase as he and a blond boy - who was wearing an orange and blue jumpsuit - began their descent, "I hope you don't mind, but I want to take Naruto with me today - he needs to get his supplies for the new school year, so we have a bit of shopping to do," the brunette held up a parchment envelope for Mrs Birkenhead to see.

"Yes, of course," Mrs Birkenhead gave Iruka the pleasant smile that she usually reserved for foster parents, "if you could just step into my office, we'll go over the usual paperwork and then you two can be on your way."

"Just wait here for me, okay Naruto?" Iruka instructed the blond as he followed Mrs Birkenhead.

"Right," Naruto nodded; leaning against the wall beside Mrs Birkenhead's office door with his arms folded while he hummed to himself quietly - he examined his surroundings as he waited for the brunette's return. He spotted three of the younger children; running from one room to another and giggling while they chased each other. "Hey there!" Naruto grinned brightly.

The three orphans stopped in their tracks to give Naruto an odd stare before they shared uneasy glances with each other and began to whisper behind their hands.

Naruto arched a curious eyebrow at the children and pushed himself away from the wall, "I don't bite, y'know," he told them as he began to walk towards them; but as soon as he took so much as a step closer to the three children, they backed away from him - as though they were horrified to be within his vicinity - the three children then ran back into the room that they had originally come from; slamming the door behind themselves.

"That was weird," Naruto muttered to himself with a dumbfounded expression as he returned to his position outside Mrs Birkenhead's office door.

Minutes later, a boy - who appeared to be slightly older than Naruto - entered the hallway through the door that the three youngsters had disappeared through. The older boy's eyes instantly locked with Naruto's and narrowed into a glare.

"Uzumaki," the other boy snarled, "did you really think that you could pick on Casey, Tommy and Darren and get away with it?"

"I - what?" Naruto spluttered in confusion. "I didn't pick on anyone!"

"Then you tell me why Casey is in there crying her eyes out!" The boy pointed towards the door that he had come through.

"I don't know!" Naruto replied defensively; quickly realising that the boy was talking about the three children who had been playing in the hallway moments ago. "All I did was say hello to them."

"So what, you're trying to be our friend now? You're trying to get close to us so we'll fall into your next trap?"

"Look, I think there's been a misunder-"

"I'm not buying it," the boy cut across Naruto as he squared up to the blond; the boy grabbed the white collar of Naruto's jacket as he balled his free hand into a fist, "I know it was you who stole Casey's photo of our parents - you're jealous because we knew our parents, aren't you? I bet you did push Lucy down those stairs too."

"I didn't push anyone down the stairs!" Naruto retorted furiously while he tried to shrug out of the other boy’s grip. "And I don't know anything about any photos!"

"Then why is Lucy too scared to tell us what happened?" The other boy growled; shaking Naruto by his collar. "Weird things happen when you're around, we were all happier when you were gone."

Naruto tried to desperately to get away as the other boy raised a clenched fist.

"Naruto, are you ready to go?" Iruka's voice asked as he and Mrs Birkenhead stepped out of the office - as soon as the door creaked open, the boy had let go of Naruto's collar and had taken a swift step backwards.

"I -" Naruto stared between the boy and Iruka. "Yeah."

The blond followed Iruka out of the front door; giving Mrs Birkenhead and the other boy a final glance before the door swung shut after Iruka and Naruto had crossed over the threshold. He followed Iruka down the road until they reached a small alleyway without saying a single word to the older man; instead he silently dwelled on the other boy's words.

_"Weird things happen when you're around, we were all happier when you were gone."_

"Right, I think this should be alright," Iruka muttered more to himself than to Naruto as he gazed around to make sure they couldn't be seen by any passing Muggles; his voice pulled the blond out of his stupor, "if I had known about this alleyway, I would have apparated here instead of travelling by train - but there's too many Muggles to consider anyway," the brunette reasoned with himself, "oh well," Iruka raised his index and middle fingers of his right hand to form a single hand seal, "release!"

Naruto disappeared in a plume of smoke leaving Iruka quite alone - the man's lips curled downwards into a grimace as he gained the memories from his transfigured shadow clone.

"Please don't tell me that you're involved in any of this, Naruto," Iruka sighed to himself as a worrisome expression spread over his face.

After a moment of thought, Iruka withdrew his wand again and spun on the spot - he disappeared from the alleyway with a loud crack.

* * *

 

Iruka stumbled slightly as his feet slammed against the cobblestoned pavement; he straightened himself up as he came face to face with a brick wall in a small courtyard behind a shabby looking building - the brunette swiftly tapped the bricks with his wand and waited patiently as the bricks wiggled and slid into place to form an archway; revealing a bustling alley full of shops and stalls.

"If he's not here, he must've got himself lost somewhere in London," Iruka muttered to himself; hoping that his statement wouldn't prove to be true.

He manoeuvred himself through the crowd of shoppers and between displays and stands that stood outside of the many shops; even in this mass, a bright orange jumpsuit would be hard to miss.

"Iruka?" A familiar voice reached the brunette's ears.

Iruka whirled around on the spot and his eyes fell upon a man who had white hair that was swept to one side; he was wearing a navy blue, long sleeved t-shirt with matching trousers and a bandana that covered at least two thirds of the man's face - including his right eye.

"Kakashi," Iruka inclined his head at the other man while simultaneously watching out for the elusive blond, "what are you doing here?"

"Picking up some new supplies," Kakashi replied; holding up a bag full of potion ingredients along with another full of books for Iruka to see, "it would've probably been easier to send an order by owl, but it's nice to get out every once in a while."

Iruka quirked a suspicious eyebrow at the books, "a new volume of Make Out Paradise by any chance?"

"Nope, still waiting," Kakashi chuckled as he ruffled his hair with his free hand.

"I wonder," Iruka mused to himself before speaking up a bit louder to address the white haired man once more, “do you think you can help me? I can't find -"

"Naruto," Kakashi finished the sentence for the brunette, "don't worry, he's alright."

"Huh?" Iruka tilted his head to one side with a bewildered expression, "how do you know?"

"I've just seen him," Kakashi gave another laugh.

Iruka felt a scowl spread across his face, "oh really? Where is he?"

"Hm? He's at Ichiraku's ramen stand," Kakashi replied in a slow voice as he eyed Iruka suspiciously, "I was under the impression that he was with you."

"No," Iruka fumed, "he snuck out of the orphanage."

"And got all the way to Diagon Alley on his own?" Kakashi asked in a surprised tone. "Well, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't impressed."

"I can't believe this kid! What an idiot!" Iruka shook his head furiously. "Thanks for your help, Kakashi - I'm gonna go and get the knucklehead."

"Uh oh, looks like someone's in trouble," Kakashi snickered to himself; following Iruka as the brunette headed further into the crowd, "I can't wait to see this!"

"This kid is going to be the death of me,” Iruka tutted under his breath and shot Kakashi a reproachful glare as the silver haired man began to chuckle to himself again, "it's not funny, Kakashi!" He barked at the other man over his shoulder.

"I'd rather you than me," Kakashi held his hands up defensively; feeling thankful that he had his bandanna to hide his smirk, "I had enough of him last year - it's your turn now."

"How long ago did you see him?" Iruka asked impatiently; deciding to make use of Kakashi presence as they navigated their way towards the familiar ramen stand.

"Only a few minutes ago," Kakashi answered; speeding up into a jogging pace in order to keep up with the brunette, "may I ask, what's up with your outfit?"

"My outfit?" Iruka asked; glancing down at his attire with a small frown. "I was blending in with the Muggles."

"Ah, of course you were," Kakashi pursed his lips to hold back another bout of laughter, "there he is,” the silver haired man pointed towards a boy with vibrant blond hair and three infamous whisker-like markings adorning each of his cheeks - the boy was wearing his usual orange and blue jumpsuit that made him stand out in crowded places such as Diagon Alley.

The boy was chatting animatedly with three other boys; one who had short brunette hair and was carrying a small white dog on his head, another who had red hair and wore shabby clothes and the last boy who had his hair tied back into a ponytail that was similar to Iruka's and seemed to be half listening to Naruto and his friends with a bored expression. The four boys were helping themselves to bowl of ramen while Teuchi and his daughter happily joined in with their conversations in between cooking more noodles and serving other customers.

"Ah, I see he's caught up with Mr Weasley and Mr Inuzuka,” Kakashi observed; although he didn't recognise the last boy, he had often seen him talking talking to Naruto during their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Naruto, you knucklehead!" Iruka rounded on the blond; making Naruto flinch and turn in his seat. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Iruka!" Naruto tried to greet the older man with a grin; but his smile quickly faltered. "What are you wearing?"

"Never mind what I'm wearing! How could you just leave the orphanage like that?" Iruka lectured the blond. "What would you have done if you got lost? How did you even get this far on your own?"

"It's easy to sneak through the barriers at train stations when you're as small as I am," Naruto told the brunette haired man nonchalantly, "and if I get caught, I can just put on the water works and tell the station guard I was looking for my mum or something - that kinda stuff always works so all I really had to do was remember which station we got off as last year. Besides, London has maps everywhere - I wouldn't have got lost."

"Pfft, yeah right!" Kiba snorted into his ramen while Akamaru gave a happy yap. "You did get lost, you were just lucky that Hana recognised you."

"Shut up, Kiba," Naruto shot back at his friend.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Iruka warned Naruto in a low voice.

"Alright, alright, I won't do it again," Naruto huffed as he waved Iruka's comment away.

"It's not just that," Iruka frowned, "Mrs Birkenhead told me what happened the other day."

Iruka's last sentence was met by curious stares from Kakashi and the blond's school friends.

Naruto's expression instantly dropped into a scowl, "there's no way I'm taking the blame for that - I didn't even do anything!" Naruto growled as he jumped off of his seat - promising Kiba, Bill and Shikamaru that he would return shortly - before tugging on Iruka's poncho and moving further away from Ichiraku's Ramen. "She tripped on a toy and fell down those stairs and I tried to catch her before she fell - she won't tell anyone what happened, so I got the blamed for pushing her down the stairs." Naruto told the older man bluntly in a low voice and with a hard stare.

"Why didn't you just explain that to Mrs Birkenhead?" Iruka enquired; feeling his grimace deepen.

"Because she hates me,” Naruto answered simply with a shrug, "they all do - they won't listen to what I have to say."

A lump rose in Iruka's throat, "okay, but what about the photo?"

"What photo?" Naruto wrinkled his nose in confusion.

"The photo of the girl's parents, it's gone missing," Iruka pressed, "I think her name was Katie… Cassy -"

"Casey," Naruto corrected the man with a quizzical expression.

"That's it - they seem to think you stole her photo."

"Stuff goes missing in that orphanage all the time," Naruto heaved a deep sigh, "besides, it's not unknown for the other orphans to hide stuff just to get others in trouble - they think it's funny."

"And your bedroom door key is -"

"Right here," Naruto pulled out a silver key from his pocket, "if she was really that worried about me, she would've kicked the door down yesterday. I guess she'll change the lock now though so this is useless," The blond fiddled with the key for a moment before staring at Iruka coolly again, "anything else you wanna interrogate me on?"

Iruka surveyed the blond closely for a moment before he slowly shook his head at Naruto, "no, I believe you."

Naruto pouted at the brunette as he turned away and walked back to his friends at the ramen stand; leaving the guilty lump in Iruka's throat to swell for having doubted the boy in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

Iruka had agreed to meet up with Naruto later that evening in the Leaky Cauldron - the shabby pub that aided in concealing Diagon Alley from the muggle world.

The brunette had decided to let the blond spend time to catch up with his school friends while Iruka accompanied Kakashi back to the pub; the older man hoped that the space between himself and he blond might help ease his guilt for doubting Naruto earlier.

"Good grief," the brunette heaved a tiresome sigh, "who knew that one kid could be so much trouble?"

"You don't know the half of it," Kakashi mused quietly as he retrieved a small orange tome from his back pocket, "try being stuck in a castle full of them for a year. Has the Ministry found any new leads on Orochimaru?"

Iruka frowned to himself; Orochimaru had been the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry over the course of the previous year - but a month before the school year drew to a close, it had come to light that Orochimaru had been manipulating a student into researching topics that were strictly forbidden and had even intended to use Naruto to execute his plans; endangering the young boy's life in the process.

The result of these events had ended with Naruto and two of his school friends; Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, taking matters into their own hands - the trio had unknowingly played right into Orochimaru's hands and had almost given the man what he sought after. If it wasn't for Kiba Inuzuka and Bill Weasley's terrible lying abilities, Iruka was certain that the ex-Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would have been able to carry out his dastardly plans. The man in question had promptly fled the castle at Kakashi Hatake and Professor McGonagall's arrival. After the incident, Orochimaru's office was searched thoroughly and the research papers that remained were recovered then handed over to the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic - where an investigation was currently underway.

Professor Dumbledore had had to collect statements from Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura at the request of Ibiki Morino; the current head of the Auror Department, and the Minister of Magic herself; Millicent Bagnold.

Iruka heaved another heavy sigh as he reflected on the events of the previous month, "I've spoken to Alastor Moody; he's a friend of mine in the Auror Department - he was quite reluctant to discuss the subject, but from what he's told me, it doesn't sound like they've found any traces of Orochimaru - they've even started a public appeal -"

"I saw,” Kakashi nodded slowly as he recalled reading the small article in the Daily Prophet, "I'm surprised the Daily Prophet was so blasé about it, they usually blow stuff like this out of proportion."

"There's no story if the journalists can't get their hands on the information," the brunette pointed out; wrinkling his nose slightly at the mention of the Daily Prophet, "anyway, the Aurors aren't even sure if Orochimaru is still in the country," Iruka turned his attention back to their original conversation in a quiet voice, "it's caused a bit of an issue within the Magical Law Enforcement Department - from what I've heard, they're reviewing laws and restrictions on chakra users."

"Can they do that?" Kakashi enquired in a curious tone as he and Iruka entered the shade of the Leaky Cauldron; both of them were silently thankful that they were no longer under the sun's intense glare.

"Technically no," Iruka murmured to himself thoughtfully, "I don't think it's something that's really within the Ministry of Magic's jurisdiction, but I guess that they could introduce laws that restricts chakra and magic integration."

"I see," Kakashi mused, "but there's no way to tell if chakra and magic have been combined without being present at the time," the white haired man frowned at Iruka.

"Exactly," Iruka gave a small nod, "that's why there have been a few complications."

"Also, as far as I’m aware no one has successfully combined magic and chakra anyway; it's too much for the human body to handle," Kakashi's frown deepened, "anyone who's tried is has died, except -" Kakashi let his sentence trail off as he stopped in his tracks; enthralled in his contemplation.

"Tsunade Senju," Iruka finished for the other man, "but people are still attempting it and it's becoming dangerous," Iruka heaved a weary sigh, "has Dumbledore found a replacement for Orochimaru yet?"

"Apparently," Kakashi replied in a slow voice as he trailed through his memories, "I spoke to Professor McGonagall about it - but I can't remember the guy's name," the young professor admitted to Iruka; sheepishly ruffling his own hair.

"Typical," Iruka rolled his eyes and tutted quietly.

"I'm just glad it's not me - Professor Dumbledore offered it to me again," Kakashi's smile faltered, "the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher never last longer than a year - I'm sure the job is cursed."

"Don't be silly," Iruka shook his head at the other man, "it's talk like that that starts ridiculous rumours. Honestly, you'd think that you were one of the students with the way you act sometimes, Kakashi."

* * *

 

Iruka had decided to stay with Kakashi for the remained of the young professor's visit to Diagon Alley; allowing Naruto to spend more time with his school friends without feeling as though he was being hounded or watched by the two adults. Kakashi had - of course - insisted that the brunette changed his clothes or at the very least take off the ridiculous fishing hat and poncho before they settled down at one of the many tables inside the Leaky Cauldron.

The two men continued to discuss the events that revolved around Orochimaru and his plans while they worked their way through a pitcher of iced Wizard's Brew in the Leaky Cauldron; both Iruka and Kakashi were fairly confident that they would not be overheard by any eavesdroppers in the hubbub of the small pub.

"I just don't understand why he would target kids," Iruka leaned back in his chair with his arms folded and a sombre expression on his face, "it just seems pointless."

"Pointless?" Kakashi glanced up from his book to stare at Iruka in disbelief. "Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?" Iruka cocked his head to one side.

"You do know what he is, don't you?" Kakashi marked his place in the small orange tome before setting it aside. "I'm talking about Naruto," the white haired professor added after he received a mystified stare from the other man.

"What do you mean?" Iruka asked; his brow furrowed as his confusion deepened.

Kakashi cast his eye about himself and Iruka in search of anyone who might be trying to listen in on their conversation before he began to speak again - this time he lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper. "How much do you know about the Nine Tails?"

"The Nine Tails?" Ireland cocked his head at Kakashi again.

"Shh!" Kakashi hushed the other man and glanced around once more.

"Sorry," Iruka apologised and spoke in a murmured tone too, "you're talking about the attack on Konoha, aren't you?"

Kakashi bowed his head.

"Everyone knows about the Nine Tails – well, maybe not the younger generation of today," Iruka grimaced as he subconsciously brought a hand up to his face and rubbed the scarred bridge of his nose, "a lot of people were killed trying to suppress the Nine Tails - even Lord Third couldn't restrain the beast. I don't know what happened for sure, but I do know that Lord Fourth gave his life to seal the Nine Tails away for good,” the brunette lowered his hand and shifted his thoughtful gaze to the ceiling, "since then, I don't think anyone really knows what happened to the Nine Tails. Even so, the Nine Tails attack is why a lot of people left the Elemental Nations and moved into Europe - it's almost the same circumstances as the Third Shinobi War. I guess people were worried about the Nine Tails' return," he added with a small grimace.

"The Nine Tails was sealed away," Kakashi confirmed in an even lower voice; forcing Iruka to lean towards the other man just to hear what he was saying, "are you familiar with the term Jinchūriki?"

"The power of human sacrifice - it's a term that’s usually used to describe an individual who is the host to a tailed beast," Iruka replied automatically.

Kakashi nodded deeply again, "and why do you think Orochimaru targeted Naruto and his friends last year? Were you able to read any of his research notes?"

"What are you getting at?" Iruka eyed Kakashi sceptically.

"Orochimaru hinted towards the Nine Tails a fair few times in his research - especially the notes he made towards the end of the school year," Kakashi confided in the other man, "along with the Sharingan, Chakra, the Byakugan and Unicorn Blood - that's just to name a handful of essays he assigned to one of the students," Kakashi was careful not to mention Sasuke's name, "we already know that there were at least two Hyūga and two Uchiha - one of which is a friend of Naruto's - at his disposal within the castle over the last year and the Forbidden Forest is home to a number of Unicorns. Chakra can be easily explained too, so that just leaves the Nine Tails."

The brunette's eyes widened as they locked with Kakashi's, "are… are you saying -?"

"That Naruto is the Nine Tails Jinchūriki," Kakashi finished the other man's sentence, "that my theory anyway,” the young professor's tone suggested that he knew more than he was letting on, but Iruka's mind was already whirring, "I know I'm not the only one who's thinking it either," Kakashi's carried on talking without noticing Iruka's vacant expression, "a lot of the teaching staff have suspected that the Nine Tails currently resides at Hogwarts and I wouldn't be surprised if the Aurors were thinking along the same lines," Kakashi's glanced towards the brunette, "I understand if this is a lot to take in, but we can't deny the possibility -"

" _The marking on Naruto abdomen; it couldn't have been a seal!"_ The thought ran through Iruka’s head as the memory of the spiral pattern resurfaced in his mind.

"- should keep a closer eye on Naruto from now on," Kakashi voice wrenched Iruka out of his stupor, "I've got a feeling that Orochimaru won't trouble himself to keep this quiet."

"Are you sure that it's Naruto?" Iruka blurted out before he could stop himself. "Maybe Lord Fourth sealed the Nine Tails away somewhere else? Naruto must've been a baby when the Nine Tails attacked, he couldn't have been strong enough to hold the Nine Tails," Iruka tried to reason.

"The Nine Tails has been sealed within members of the Uzumaki clan for almost a century," Kakashi confided in the other man, "they're well known for their sealing techniques and strong life bonds; Naruto would have been a logical choice."

A dreaded feeling fell like a rock in the pit of Iruka's stomach as he slumped back in his chai rand frowned at his glass of Wizard's Brew.

Kakashi eyed the brunette with concern, "hey, are you okay?"

* * *

 

Kakashi bade goodbye to Iruka's as the evening drew in. Naruto had returned to the Leaky Cauldron before sunset to seek out the brunette.

"Iruka!" Naruto ran towards the two older men as Kakashi gathered his belongings together. "I’m heading over to Ichiraku's, you coming?"

"Again?" Kakashi gave Naruto an astonished stare. "You were there earlier."

"I really like the old man's ramen, y'know." Naruto beamed happily at Kakashi.

You need to vary your diet," Kakashi muttered more to himself than the blond.

"So are you coming or what?" Naruto asked again in an urging tone.

"Not today, Naruto," Iruka gave the blond a small smile and waved him away a little, "I've already eaten, but you go on ahead," Iruka lied.

The two men watched the energetic boy rush back out of the pub towards the small courtyard that led towards Diagon Alley.

"Be back by nine o'clock!" Iruka's called after Naruto's retreating back; he wasn't sure whether Naruto had heard him or not.

"Try not to dwell on it," Kakashi told the brunette as he began his departure; sensing Iruka's unease, "he's still the same kid you knew before."

Iruka's was only half listening to the blond boy later that night, he barely even recalled the one sided conversation; he was engrossed in his own thoughts instead and just added the odd hum of agreement and nodded his head at intervals in Naruto's ramblings.

" _Could he really be the Nine Tails?"_ Iruka couldn't stop the same question from resurfacing in his mind over and over again; no matter how much he tried to force himself to focus on his conversation with Naruto. " _Kakashi made some good points, the Uzumaki clan members were host to the Nine Tails, but that was years ago. Surely a baby couldn't contain that much chakra, it's too much, it should have consumed him… and yet -"_ Iruka eyed Naruto with interest. " _That's definitely a seal on his abdomen, but surely I would've felt the Nine Tails chakra by now."_ Iruka subconsciously shuddered - apparently at the right moment too.

  
"I know right!" Naruto prattled on and sniggered at Iruka's shudder. "But I got in trouble for it anyway -"

  
" _He's clueless."_ Iruka threw an astonished glance at Naruto. _"Does he even know about the Nine Tails himself?"_

Iruka cleared his throat. "Hey Naruto," he cut across the blond.

"Hm?" Naruto's head tilted and a curious expression possessed his features.

"Do- do you know anything about a beast with nine tails?" Iruka asked.

"A beast with nine tails?" Naruto's expression changed to confusion as he cocked his head to one side and stared at Iruka; waiting for the older wizard to elaborate.

"Don't worry," Iruka shook his head and grinned at Naruto, "it was something I heard a Hogwarts student mention earlier so I thought I'd ask you about it," the brunette lied easily.

"Maybe Hagrid, got a new pet - Hana told me that he's into stuff like that," Naruto suggested with a chuckle.

"I bet Hagrid would have a field day with a pet like that," Iruka mumbled as he pursed his lips.

" _Absolutely clueless,"_ Iruka shook his head again.

"You look kinda pale, are you feeling okay?" Naruto eyed the brunette with a somewhat worrisome expression.

"I've just got a bit of a headache," Iruka reassured the young Gryffindor as he rose from his seat, "I think I'm going to called it a day, Naruto," he added with a tired smile, "we've got to be up early in the morning to get your school supplies."

"School supplies?" Naruto wrinkled his nose in confusion. "But I've got everything, haven't I? We did all that last year."

"You get a new supply list every year; new books, stock up on potions ingredients, you know - stuff like that," Iruka informed Naruto, "oh, that reminds me!" He retrieved a parchment envelope with Naruto's name on it from his pocket. "This is your Hogwarts letter, keep it safe."

"Did you pick this up at the orphanage?" Naruto enquired; taking the envelope and examining it closely.

"No, I got it from Dumbledore - I was planning to surprise you with a visit, but… well," Iruka gave Naruto a reproachful glare.

"I won't do it again," Naruto gave a small laugh as he ruffled his hair nervously.

"I'm going to bed - I'll come and wake you up in the morning," Iruka announced as he tucked his chair in and headed towards the staircase, "don't stay up too late."

"Right," Naruto nodded at the man's retreating back as he pulled the letters out of the parchment envelope and began to read them, "night, Iruka."

Iruka ascended the stairs without another word. He closed the door behind himself as he entered his temporary bedroom.

"Surely he would know," Iruka mused to himself as he perched himself on the edge of his bed and glared at the opposite wall, "you can't live twelve years without knowing that there's a demon beast sealed inside you," he closed his eyes and let his mind wander freely, "could that boy really be a demon?"


End file.
